In the following disclosure the term “praline” will mean any types and shapes of food products, such as confectionery products, sweets, chocolates and so on, which are dissolved in the mouth by rubbing against the tongue, or by contact with the saliva, heat and so on.
The term “beverage” will mean any conventional beverages such as tea, milk, water, drinks, as well fruit juices and the like, and more viscous food products, such as cocoa based beverages, yoghurt and so on. The term “beverage” will moreover encompass liquids in which medicines, such as for children, are dissolved.
The document FR-A-1,288,957 discloses a vessel to be fixed to drink bottles. This vessel comprises two closable pieces, adapted to hold therebetween any desired food products, for example ice cream, said vessel being provided with an inlet nozzle which can be coupled to a bottle, and an outlet nozzle therefrom the beverage is delivered, upon mixing it with the ice cream, or the like, held inside the vessel. Thus, the dissolving of the ice cream into the beverage occurs outside of the user mouth and in a chamber which cannot be accessed by the user tongue.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 3,201,015 also discloses a vessel provided for mixing a liquid, held in a bottle, and a dissolvable food product held in said vessel, said vessel also comprising two portions. In this vessel too a recess is provided at one end thereof for coupling to a bottle, whereas the other end comprises a suction nozzle for sucking the beverage upon having mixed it with the dissolvable element held in the vessel.
The document WO-99/64323 teaches to improve the perception of a drink taste by aromatizing the plug of the bottle holding the drink beverage. Thus, the plug is so perfumed to affect the sense of smell as the beverage is drunk.
The re-issued US Patent (USOORE 35577E) discloses a cylinder-shaped supply device including at a bottom thereof a beverage which can be delivered by pressing on a piston. The delivered liquid exits through ducts traversing an outer sweet. In sucking the sweet, the lips do not encounter any bearing points, and the delivered liquid adjusting is manually controlled and cannot be affected by a rubbing movement of the tongue.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,884 discloses a support element for a hard sweet coupled to a powder or granular confectionery product vessel for providing children with a different taste.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 5,993,870 discloses a device for holding and coating a confectionery product having a handle. The addition of said substances being performed manually and outside the user mouth.